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Vanderbilt Shuts Down Duke Offense in Upset

from press release

Courtesy Vanderbilt
Athletics

NASHVILLE - The 19th-ranked Vanderbilt women's
lacrosse team opened the 2012 season with an impressive defensive
performance in knocking off No. 5 Duke, 7-5, Sunday at the VU
Lacrosse Complex. Senior goalkeeper Natalie Wills made seven saves
behind a strong Vanderbilt defense that shut down a Blue Devil
attack which had averaged 22 goals in its first two games.

The Commodore attack played aggressively and turned eight-meter
opportunities into goals, as six of Vanderbilt's seven tallies came
on free position shots. Six different Commodores scored goals, led
by a pair from senior Kelly Connors.

Vanderbilt's defense, which returned all 64 games started from
last season, put together a magnificent performance to hold Duke to
five goals--the lowest offensive output for a VU opponent since
beating Canisius last February.

Playing against the fifth-ranked team in the country, the
Commodores would never trail. Senior All-American Ally Carey scored
on a free position shot just 1:18 into the game to give Vanderbilt
the lead. She would win the ensuing draw and a feed a wide-open
Kelly Connors for another score just 10 seconds later--Vanderbilt's
only goal that didn't come after a Blue Devil foul.

Duke twice tied the game up, including at the outset of the
second half, but free position goals from senior Kacie Connors,
junior Carly Linthicum and senior Kendall Pittinger over an
eight-minute span gave VU a 6-3 advantage with 18 minutes to
play.

The Commodores were called for five yellow cards on the day, but
only allowed one Duke goal during the newly instituted
"man-advantage" situations that force teams to play minus-1 in both
attacking zones for two minutes after a card. Following that DU
tally, VU sophomore Abby Wheeler answered with the Commodores'
final goal of the day at the 6:05 mark of the second half. The Blue
Devils would scramble to get one more goal but could not get closer
than 7-5. Duke's Emma Hamm was limited to zero goals on 0-for-6
shooting.

Vanderbilt will have two weeks to prepare for its second game of
the season. Head Coach Cathy Swezey's Commodores will travel to
Chapel Hill, N.C., on Sunday, Feb. 26, to face another Atlantic
Coast Conference ranked in the nation's top five in North
Carolina.